


Variants and Back Issues

by PocketNoivern



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comic Book Shop AU, F/M, More characters will probably make appearances, We have coffee shops and flower shops and tattoo parlours, Why not comic book shops too?, Will add them as it becomes appropriate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-09-19 13:19:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9442406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/pseuds/PocketNoivern
Summary: Humming a curious note, she picked up the comic book, which featured a heroine in a red spandex suit covered in black polka-dots. The heroine was holding a small black thread and swinging across the buildings, looking determined at another costumed character. The character was also in a skin-tight suit, though she skated on roller blades and wore a helmet. The helmet-wearing character was reaching for the polka-dot character, an angry snarl on her face.A bright, curvy font declared yet another unusual title: "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir"~~~Alya brings Marinette to her favourite comic book store, determined to try and get Marinette to see the greatness that is comic books. Marinette is a little skeptical at first, but a criminally gorgeous, blonde-haired employee might just change her attitude on the whole superhero thing. Comic Book Shop AU





	1. Chapter 1

The first word that Marinette could use to describe the comic book store was 'sketchy'.

She hadn't been against following Alya to her favourite comic book store before going to see their movie. They still had an hour to go before they needed to be heading to the theatre, and Alya had insisted on picking up the latest issue of Majestia with the time they had. And Marinette didn't have anything against superheroes or comics; sure they weren't her favourite form of reading material, but with the influx of superhero movies coming to theatres it was hard not to be interested in at least a few of the superhero characters that popped up, even if some had ridiculous names. 

She had to admit, she was a little curious as to what the whole appeal was.

But Marinette was used to the tidy and spacious bookstores that she would sometimes go to with her Maman, and since her interests were more aligned to fashion and crafts she'd never really been to a comic book store. She'd heard all about this particular establishment from Alya, who claimed it was her 'absolute favourite place to go for comics.' Even Nino said he loved working at this particular place; their lyceé offered a work experience program for students to earn extra credit, and ever since he managed to snag a cashier position for that work experience he always talked about how fun it was. Alya had decided that since they already had time to kill, this would be a perfect time to christen Marinette with her first trip to a proper comic book store.

She wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but when they approached the old building Marinette had to pause.

"So this is your legendary comic book store?" Despite Alta's eagerness to show off her local stomping ground, Marinette couldn't hide her skepticism.

While her parents were more trusting of Marinette's independence as she walked and commuted around Paris, the street they had arrived on was definitely one of the ones that, were she still in collége, her Maman would tell her to be cautious around. The street was in an older part of town and the store itself was a part of a strip mall, nestled in between a photocopy shop and an empty storefront available for lease. The building definitely looked old, not in the classic or antique sense but in the 'this building has definitely seen better days' sense. Decals and small posters of super hero and fantasy characters sporadically decorated the storefront's windows, but a couple of them were peeling in some places. Through the windows Marinette could see security bars across the front windows and door. The old billboard awning was faded with exposure to the sun and elements, and a hand-written sign displayed the store's hours.

"Don't let the layers of dust scare you off. This place is as great as I said it was, trust me." The brunette said with a wink. "I took a lot of care in picking where I got my comics from, and I wouldn't get them anywhere else but here."

"Well, I guess, but it looks a little..." Marinette trailed, gesturing with her hands to try and convey what she didn't want to say out loud. Alya laughed at her gesture.

"Sketchy? Run-down? Showing its age?"

"Well, it's not like the bars on the door exactly scream friendly..." Marinette admitted. 

"Do you really think I would take you somewhere that was anything less than respectable?" Alya asked. At Marinette's pointed look, the brunette laughed again. "Relax, Marinette. It's rough around the edges, but you'll like it in there." She said, pulling the door open and leading Marinette inside.

The interior was surprisingly spacious, betraying the narrow entrance that was the storefront. Despite this there was still a feeling of crampedness due to how many shelves and racks there were displaying items for sale. Alya had once mentioned that this store had been around for almost thirty years, and Marinette could believe it. The shelves were made of wood, sturdy yet faded with time, and a couple that she passed by had a fine layer of dust on them. While there were a couple glass showcases that were shiny and new, they were few and far between, and stood out in sharp contrast to the older shelves they sat beside. The carpet was long faded, stained with a faint trail where the heaviest foot traffic went, and there were a couple holes in the old ceiling panels. But despite these obvious signs of age, the store was relatively well upkept; the racks were organized neatly, the products on the shelves displayed in an eye-catching way, the glass showcases neatly displaying mugs, pins, small statues, novelty jewellery, and other miscellaneous collectibles. Marinette could definitely tell that effort was made to keep the old store looking neat and professional in its old age.

The two walked into the store, Marinette following Alya to where the counter where the cash register sat. It wasn't particularly busy, the only other customers in the store being two men looking at a shelf of board games near the back. Behind the front counter was a red-haired young man, his long bangs brushed to the left side of his face. He sat on a metal stool, a sketchbook laid on the front counter before him that he was drawing in. He only paused to look up when he noticed people were walking by, and when he saw the girls he brightened, smiling a friendly smile.

"Oh, hey Alya."

"Hi Nathanael! You got my comics for the week?" Alya asked, coming to a stop at the counter. The young man, Nathanael, nodded, turning behind him to reach into a shelf behind him, filled with cubbyholes. Each had a number over it, with variously-sized stacks of comics in each (some empty while others, Marinette noticed, were stuffed full). From one of the cubbyholes he drew a small stack of comic books and handed them to Alya.

"I even managed to tuck away a variant cover for this month's Majestia for you." He said. Alya gasped, taking the stack and looking over the aforementioned comic.

"Oh my gosh! Nathanael, have I ever told you I love you? Because you are absolutely, positively amazing!"

Nathanael laughed sheepishly, smiling at Alya's excitement before turning his gaze to Marinette. "Oh, who's your friend? I haven't seen her before."

Alya paused in her gushing over her new comics, attention snapping back to the fact that she had come here with another purpose in mind. "Oh, right! Nathanael, this is my friend Marinette. She's the one who made me those orange gloves I showed you, remember?"

Marinette waved. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

"O-Oh yeah! I remember that... You did a real good job on it. It's nice to meet you." He said. "Do you read comics too?"

"Uh, actually, not really. I hear about Majestia all the time from Alya, though."

"Which is why today's the perfect day for you to start!" Alya declared, tucking her stack of comics under one hand and patting Marinette's shoulder. "I'm going to convert her, just you watch."

"Convert me?" Marinette asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"You heard me. We can't be friends unless you're converted to the geek side."

"I don't remember you mentioning that when we became friends. What if I don't like comic books?"

"Well, tough luck, kiddo." Alya said, shaking her head and smiling. "If you value our friendship, you'll start reading _something_ involving super-mutants in spandex."

"Iiii'm beginning to regret becoming your friend." Marinette said, and the two girls couldn't contain their giggles.

"Um, well, if you want, I could help you and Alya pick out something you might like." Nathanael offered, glancing between the two giggling girls. "There's a lot of titles to choose from, it could help having an extra pair of hands to help you."

"Great idea." Alya said with a nod to Nathanael. "We can convert her together. She won't be a normie forever."

"Hey!"

Despite the jesting by her best friend, Marinette soon found herself being led through a small tour of the comic book shelves. She had to admit, without Alya and Nathanael there, she wouldn't have known where to even begin looking; she hadn't exactly thought about just how _many_ comic books there were.  Alya obviously pointed her in the direction of the super heroes, while Nathanael showed her a couple that were more geared towards realistic, drama-filled storylines. She nodded along to their descriptions of the stories, and was amused at how animated the two became when describing their particular favourite series'. But try as they might to entice her, none of the comics that were shown to her really caught her interest, even with Alya's insistence that 'no, it isn't _all_ about kicking bad-guy butt, there's a lot of complex character building here!'

Not to mention whenever the two began talking about the big, inter-connected universes some of these comics wove her head began to spin. She didn't want to need an entire encyclopedia just to understand who a character was talking to and why they were even in the story!

After hearing about another comic that, somehow, devolved into Alya and Nathanael discussing which of the series' universe was more true to some character's origins, Marinette decided it was time to bail. "Thanks for your help, guys! I think I'm going to take a look around for a bit, see if something catches my interest."

Leaving the two to their discussions (which almost sounded like a foreign language to her), Marinette wandered down the aisles on her own. Searching through the shelves alone was calmer than being dragged here and there, but she still didn't really have a clue what she was looking for. Eventually she made her way to a set of shelves that had a hand-made sign that said "New Releases". Briefly glancing over at Alya, who was still talking to Nathanael, she browsed the covers to see what titles might catch her eye. She tried to find something, she really did, but a lot of the comic book covers were strange, and featured characters she had never even heard before. "Pixie Girl", "Ghost Force", "Zak Storm", "Tales of Feryon"... She spied a couple of the more famous and recognizable titles, but their covers proudly proclaimed them to be on issue 275 or some other outlandish number, making her eyes widen. 275 issues?? How was someone supposed to start reading comic books if they were so far ahead? It would take her weeks to catch up, not to mention all the money she'd have to spend just to do so. 

She was about to turn back to Alya, ready to voice that concern, when a bright cover caught her eye. Humming a curious note, she picked up the comic book, which featured a heroine in a red spandex suit covered in black polka-dots. The heroine was holding a small black thread and swinging across the buildings, looking determined at another costumed character. The character was also in a skin-tight suit, though she skated on roller blades and wore a helmet. The helmet-wearing character was reaching for the polka-dot character, an angry snarl on her face. 

A bright, curvy font declared yet another unusual title: "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir". A wordy title, but it stood out from the others. Some of these titles sure were creative, she had to give them that. 

"That one's a really good series, if you're thinking of picking it up." 

Marinette's attention snapped from her examination of the comic book in her hand, not expecting to be spoken to. "Maybe, my friend wanted me to start reading some comic books, and--" 

Whatever she was going to say afterwards was cut off as she was met with the most beautiful pair of green eyes she'd ever seen.

Standing beside her was another young man who stood a good few inches taller than her, arms behind his back as he eyed the comic in her hands. His hair was the colour of sunlight, his eyes the brightest emeralds, his complexion fair and without blemish. Even though he looked to be about her age his face held the faintest traces of youthful roundness, giving him a softness that didn't diminish his handsomeness. His clothes were neat and stylish, screaming of an expensive brand name, yet it somehow didn't make him stand out as not belonging in such a store. He smiled at her with a kind expression that made her heart flutter despite the way her chest clenched.

"New to comics? Yeah, that can be a bit overwhelming. I remember when I was first trying to get into them, I didn't really know where to begin."

It took Marinette a good few seconds to scrape her jaw off the floor, so to speak, shaking her head a bit to try and clear it of the giddy feeling buzzing in it. "Uh, yeah! I haven't uh, I mean, my friend's tried, but, um..." She turned back to the book in her hand, feeling her face heat up.

What was going on with her?!

He laughed a good-natured chuckle, his warm smile widening. "Yeah, trust me, I've been there. If you're interested, Miraculous is a really good comic. It's one of the newer ones we've got so there's not a lot to catch up on, and the story's been pretty easy to follow so far without it being too simple. It's a pretty good choice as far as a starting comic goes."

"Oh, that's... perfect..." She said, though she found that her eyes were lingering on him a bit longer than expected. She shook her head, eyes widening. "I-I mean, the comic's perfect! Y-Yeah! I, uh, I think that's what my friend was trying to find for me." 

The blonde nodded. "I know that it can be difficult getting into the bigger superheroes, but you won't go wrong with this one. I've read all the issues that've come out so far, and it's got my interest. Plus it's got who I think is one of the best new superheroes to come out in a while."

"Really?" Marinette asked. Then, before she could stop herself, she added, "It sounds like you're a big fan."

He chuckled, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, guilty as charged. But Ladybug's really amazing. As far as superheroes go, she's definitely one of the better ones out there right now." He said, and it wasn't hard to miss the twinkle in his eye; obviously this was a topic he enjoyed.

"So, uh, y-you're a fan of superheroes too?"

"Yeah, but Ladybug is one of my favourites! She's just so awesome and cool, especially for a female superhero. Not to mention her and Chat Noir have a really good chemistry together. The artist is a local Parisian, so it's cool to see a comic that actually portrays Paris pretty well."

"Uh, y-yeah, it is." She nodded, and turned her gaze to the comic book in hand again. Before walking into the store Marinette had little interest in comic books or superheroes, but if he was giving the lecture, she doubted she would find it hard to be interested.

"Although..." He trailed, pointing at the book in her hand. "If you want to start reading it, you'd probably want to start with the first one. That one's issue five." He turned to look down one of the aisles briefly, humming in thought before turning back to her. "Here, let me see if we still have any older issues still in stock for you."

He turned and led her down the aisle, pausing at another shelf before flipping through stacks of displayed comic books. With his back turned to her, Marinette could let out a shaky exhale, trying to will herself to calm down. Alya could have told her that such a cute-looking boy worked here! She wouldn't have been so caught off-guard otherwise! Now she was stammering and completely losing her composure. He probably thought she was a buffoon, and would probably laugh at her once she left, and then she'd never be able to set foot in here again--

"Aha!" His happy outcry drew her attention, and she saw him pluck four different comic books from the shelf.  He turned back to her with a smile that rivaled the sun in brilliance.

"Man, you're really lucky! We had all of the old issues, and only had one copy of issue one left." He held out the comic books to her, which she accepted with a smile she hoped didn't look too bashful. 

"I guess I was pretty lucky, huh?" She said, before letting out a nervous giggle. Why did he have to smile like that? It should be illegal to have such a pretty smile. She looked down at the comic books in her hand to give herself a brief reprieve. The comics were numbered one through four, and showed the same polka-dotted heroine mid-battle with some other costumed character. If she wasn't currently trying to not faint from the gorgeous boy next to her, she would have found the covers a lot more engaging.

"Yeah." he said with a nod. Then his grin grew wider and he added, "I guess you could say you've got Ladybug's luck rubbing off on you today." He paused, and when she didn't respond right away he motioned to the comic book. "You know, because her powers are based on good luck. And it was lucky you found it. So, you know..." 

He laughed to himself, scratching the back of his head. Marinette blinked a couple times, realizing the lame joke that just transpired. And despite its corniness she couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"There you are, Marinette! I was wondering where you ran off to." Alya's voice shocked Marinette, causing her eyes to widen in surprise and her to turn around. Alya was standing at the end of the aisle, Nathanael having returned to the front counter.

"Alya! Hi! I was just, um, I mean, I had just..." Marinette stammered, half-gesturing to the stack of comics in her hand and half just... well, it could best be described as flailing a bit. Behind her, she heard a chuckle.

"Is this the friend you were talking about?" He asked, before waving to Alya. "I didn't know your friend was one of our regulars!"

"I told you I'd bring my friend around sometime." Alya said, beckoning Marinette with her head. "Come on, we've got a movie to go see, remember?"

"O-Oh, right!" Giggling nervously, Marinette hurried over to her friend's side, allowing the brunette to lead her to the front counter to pay. The blond had followed them up to the front counter, and Marinette found herself torn between wanting to stare at him and wanting to avert her gaze. The transactions happened in a bit of a blur, Nathanael processing first Alya's purchases before her own, while the blonde bagged their product.

"By the way," he said as he handed Marinette her bag, "My name's Adrien. I hope you like the comic books! You won't be disappointed."

Adrien. She suddenly realized that she absolutely loved the name Adrien.

"Ah, I hope so too. Thank you for all the help, Adrien." She said

"No problem. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"It was a pleasure to be with you." She said, before her expression fell and her eyes widened in shock. "I-I mean, meet you! Not be with you! Though being with you was nice-- I-I mean, with you helping me! I-I mean..." She looked down, feeling the heat crawl up her face once again. She didn't look back up until she felt Alya wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"What I think Marinette means is, thanks for all your help you two, we really appreciate it." Alya said, casting Marinette a knowing look before turning Marinette towards the door. "We'll see you two later."

Nathanael and Adrien both waved, Adrien adding, "Don't be a stranger, you two."

"Oh, we won't!" Alya said sweetly, and all but pushing Marinette out of the store. It took a whole five seconds before Marinette realized she was back out on the sidewalk, and when she looked at Alya, her friend had a rather sly look on her face.

"So, wanna tell me what _that_ was all about?" the brunette asked.

"What? There was nothing all about anything!" Marinette insisted, though even to herself it sounded less forceful than she'd like.

"Uh huh, suuure. Has anyone told you you're a terrible liar? By the way, your jaw is still scraping on the floor."

"It is not! Now come on, we're going to be late for the movie!"

Alya let out an unconvinced 'mm-hmm', but mercifully dropped the topic for the time being.

\----

Marinette discovered two things following her first trip to the comic book store.

One, she found that comics did have a particular charm to them, and could see why Alya was infatuated with them.

And two, she learned that Adrien, this criminally beautiful blonde boy who worked at a dusty old comic book store, had completely and utterly stolen her heart without even knowing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my first fanfic in several years, and the first for the Miraculous fandom. I decided that since there's so many AUs dedicated to coffee shops, flower shops, tattoo parlours, and the like, I would try to introduce a new AU for folks to try out. The comic book store depicted is based off of the actual comic book store that I work at, so this is definitely some shameless self-indulgence here :P
> 
> I don't know exactly where I'm going with this fic, and only really have a couple chapters planned out. Let me know what you guys think of it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize immensely for the lack of updates to this! Life had gotten a little busy and I kept putting off writing this, and before I knew it four months passed. I will do my utmost to not leave such a lengthy pause in between chapters.
> 
> That being said, I was pleasantly surprised at all the positive feedback on chapter one, and noticed a couple more fics out and about using the comic books shop idea, and I have to say I'm very happy people really took to this silly idea! This is my first slice of life type fic, so I'm still getting used to how to pace things and whatnot, but I'm glad that people at least have enjoyed this :3
> 
> With that being said, on with Chapter 2!

The comic book shop, to put things simply, was not a place of glamour.

The building was old. Like, older than he was old. And most of the shelves were the same wooden shelves that they'd had since he started working there, and had probably been there since the store's opening. Before they got the new fluorescent lights the store had been dim, the natural light from the front windows not quite able to reach the back wall. The adjacent gaming room was a constant struggle to keep clean of stray package wrappers, drink bottles, and food containers, especially after an evening they held a special event. And even if the staff took five days and five nights to clean the place from top to bottom, it would probably only take about a day and a half for another fine layer of dust to settle in between the shelves and on the numerous statues displayed on the high shelves.

Adrien wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

The old building was such a stark contrast to the pristine, grand, white walls of his home and the ritzy privilege he'd grown up with. Where his home was sparkling and new, this store was rough and weathered, valued not for its newness but for what it offered. It was in an older, rougher part of town, the part his Père would insist he be driven through, if he had to set foot in it at all. His Père would probably throw a fit if he found out just how frequently he walked those streets on his own, whether it be for coffee runs in the day, food runs in the evening, or to grab change from the nearby bank.

Maybe it was part of his rebellious teenage self: the desire to do something so completely different from what was expected of him at home. To do something he liked and interested him as opposed to something he did just because he thought he could help. That wasn't to say he hated modelling, but he certainly didn't want to make it his only career. He wanted to work at a job where he actually contributed more than just his looks. Before working at the comic book shop, he hadn't even known how to dust or vacuum properly. Now he took pride in working there, even in the cleaning and heavy lifting that was sometimes required and would have been shunned by most other youth working in retail. 

Seriously, who knew that boxes of comic books could be so heavy?

It wasn't glamorous, not by a long shot. But he got to meet such passionate people, talk about things he enjoyed, and let loose a little bit. Sure he had to smile on cue and be polite to customers, but it wasn't nearly to the degree his modelling had demanded. Here, he could laugh freely, and have conversations not to be polite, but because both he and the person he was talking to were genuinely interested in what was being discussed.

And oh, the wide variety of people he got to be exposed to while working here. When he was working his modelling contracts, the only people he really interacted with were other models and the various set staff that ran the photoshoots. But comic book shops had no such restrictions on who could enter them. Sometimes it was people his age, sometimes it was older adults. Sometimes parents brought in their kids, who would squeal and run around in an excited manner. Some were socially awkward and kept to themselves, while others were a little too vocal about their opinions on why this comic book hero was better in _this_ timeline, but not in _that_ timeline. Once in a while someone stumbled in that had the clinging scent of alcohol or some other questionable scent to them, and Adrien had to admit he was a bit unsettled the first time that he had to deal with a clearly-intoxicated person on his own. But their manager was a good person, and helped teach him how to talk to these people, how to be friendly and professional while at the same time making sure they don’t cause any trouble around the store.

It felt so different, working here instead of modelling.

It wasn’t the best job, by far not the highest paying one either, but he at least got to enjoy where he was, and work with real people for a change. These were practical skills he could use in the real world, not just in the high-end fashion scene.

It was a slow day today. It was just him, his co-worker Nino, and two other customers that were busy glancing through the shelves. Nino was currently sitting up at the front counter, elbow propped up on the counter and his chin resting in his hand as he flipped through a comic book. Adrien was busy dealing with the small mountain of cardboard boxes piled up near the counter; whenever a new shipment of comics came in, someone had to cut down and flatten the boxes so that they could be thrown out easier. And that job usually ended up going to Adrien. Not that he really minded. The manager had said when he started working that he wouldn’t be getting special treatment just because of his father’s legacy, and that meant doing menial tasks like tossing the trash or cutting down cardboard boxes.

He worked diligently at his task, nodding politely when the two customers paid for their purchases and left the store. Adrien decided to take a small break from his task, leaning against the counter and prodding Nino and causing the other teen to perk up.

“Hey Nino, is this a new song of yours?”

He was referring to an upbeat techno mix of a song had come on the speakers just before the customers checked out. Nino nodded, his honey-brown eyes brightening as a grin spread on his face.

“Yeah, you like it? I’ve been working on it for a couple days now and I think I got it to the point where I can share it with the masses.” One of the freedoms their manager allowed was that while they were on shift, they had control of what music played. You could always tell who was working by what music was playing. Nino tended to bring in music that he made at home, and since they worked a couple shifts together, Adrien was often one of the first to hear a new song made by the teen.

“It sounds pretty good so far.” Nino nodded proudly, but Adrien had a sneaking suspicion that Nino would hear some fault in the music somewhere and tweak it in a way that he couldn’t decipher. Try as he might to differentiate the changes Nino made, Adrien often couldn’t tell the difference. He shook his head. “You know, I’m honestly surprised you’re working here and not at some music store instead.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that they didn’t want to hire someone with such raw talent here. They’re the ones missin’ out, if you ask me.”

Adrien chuckled and turned his work, condensing yet another box, but he didn’t get very far as the door chime rang, signalling another customer entering. He straightened up and turned to the front.

“Hello, welcome to—“

“Oh Adrihoney! I knew you’d be working today!”

His eyes widened in surprise, and behind the counter next to him, Nino groaned. The door closed with a heavy ring of the door chimes as a thin girl walked in. Her face was done up in heavy makeup, her bright clothes screaming designer, and long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. Her face lit up as she hurried over to him, diving into a hug that Adrien had to brace himself for.

“H-Hey, Chloe.” Adrien said, forcing a pleasant smile on his face. He patted her shoulder carefully before gently tugging her away. She didn’t seem to mind, brushing her ponytail back behind her.

“I was just on my way to go get my hair done when we passed by, and I just _had_ to stop in and say hi to my best friend!” She walked by one of the shelves, making a face at its faded appearance. “Ugh, I cannot believe you would want to work in a place like this. Do they even clean this place?”

“We’re always cleaning in here, Cho.” Adrien sighed, the exasperation tempered by the fact that they always have this conversation whenever she comes here.

“They’re _still_ making you clean??” Chloe let out a small gasp. “Don’t they know who you are?? I’m sure you could get out of doing menial labour if you just showed some authority, Adrikins.”

“Uh, that would only work if Adrien was the manager, y’know.” Nino said, raising an eyebrow and resting a hand on his hip. “Everyone’s gotta pull their weight around here. It’s like, common sense.”

Chloe rolled her eyes at Nino, before turning a pointed look at Adrien. “Well, if _I_ were the manager, which I _wouldn’t_ be, I wouldn’t let you lift a finger! Can’t your manager hire any more cleaning staff?”

“Come on, Chlo, it’s not that bad. It’s actually kind of fun.” Adrien reasoned. Chloe shook her head incredulously.

“Only you would think cleaning is _fun_.” Chloe said. She walked around the store, glancing at the shelves with little interest. “It’s so empty in here. Do you even get customers here?”

“You actually just missed the rush.” Adrien said.

“Hard to imagine a comic book store even gets a rush.” By the tone of her voice, it was clear that Chloe didn’t think they ever got busy at all.

“Hey, you’d be surprised how many people like comic books.” Adrien motioned to the shelves. “You know, I bet you I could find something that you’d like. I’ve got time now if you want.”

Chloe blinked, before giggling. “Aw Adrikins, it’s cute that you want to get me into your nerd hobbies.” She said, patting his shoulder. “But I think I’ll pass.”

“Then, uh, why are you even in a comic book store? Cause that’s kind of all we have here.” Nino asked. Chloe shot him a dirty look.

“Can I not let Adrien have a friendly visit from his best friend?” She asked like it was the answer to everything. She glanced at her phone, letting out a little huff. “Well, it’s not like I can stay here much longer. My hair appointment is in five minutes.” She looked over at Adrien, smiling and batting her eyelashes. “It was _so_ good to see you again, Adrihoney! We have to hang out sometime!”

“Uh, yeah, if I have time to.” Adrien offered. This seemed to appease Chloe, as she reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in close to kiss his cheek.

“That sounds great! I’ll text you later!” Chloe said, smiling before turning on her heel and heading to the front entrance. She exited the building, the door closing with a slam, and Nino let out a sigh of relief. He turned to the blonde.

“Seriously, how do you put up with her, man?”

“She’s an old friend, it’s not like I can just brush her off.” Adrien said with a helpless shrug. “She means well, really…”

“If _that’s_ her meaning well, I’d hate to be on her bad side.” Nino said with a roll of his eyes. Adrien chuckled.

“But I guess she does have a point, the store doesn’t really look like much at a first glance. But we do a good job at keeping this place clean.”

Nino held up a finger, before pointing it at Adrien. “Correction, _you_ do a good job at keeping this place clean. At least I don't have to do the grunt work when you're around.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t grunt work.”

“How is cutting down boxes _not_ grunt work?”

“Because it’s a necessary part of keeping the store clean?”

Nino raised an eyebrow. “Uh, dude, that’s like, the definition of grunt work.”

Adrien scoffed and rolled his eyes, cutting the tape of yet another box. "Okay, fine, so it’s grunt work. So what? I don’t mind doing it. It’s actually kind of fun, really.”

“I can’t believe you find the grunt work fun.” Nino said with a shake of his head. 

“Well I never had to worry about things like cleaning or vacuuming before working here, so it's nice to actually help out around here.”

Nino scoffed at his reply. “Man, I wish I grew up with your problems. Being so rich that I could afford to have a butler sweep behind me wherever I walked.”

“Oh, and don't forget I also have the maid who incinerates all of my clothes and replaces them with new ones.” Adrien said as he gathered up the cut-down boxes. Nino laughed at that, and Adrien couldn't help but grin himself.

“Seriously, though, I think next time I’ll take on trash duty if it meant avoiding her.” Nino groaned. Adrien could only hum in agreement. He had been friends with Chloe for a long time, so he was used to her… _peculiar_ personality. He didn’t blame Nino for being overwhelmed; even he could only really deal with Chloe in small doses.

He gathered up the cardboard and carried them out the front door. It was a quick trip to the side of the building to dump all the cardboard into the big dumpster, and once it was all tossed in he let out a huff, brushing his hands. There was always a nice feeling of satisfaction at finishing a job, even one as simple as tossing out the garbage.

He hurried back into the building, and was surprised to see Nino helping a customer; a female customer, with familiar brown hair and glasses.

“Oh, hey there Alya!”

Alya turned, smiling at him as he approached. “Hey there Adrien!”

“You’re here on your own today?” He asked as he walked over to the counter. Alya nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just stopping in to pick up this week’s comics.” She motioned to the small stack on the counter that Nino was already scanning. “Hey, do you have any more of that comic that you recommended to my friend? Turns out its actually pretty good.”

“Oh, Miraculous? Yeah, sure, one sec…” Adrien turned and walked over to the shelves, scanning the New Release shelf before plucking the desired comic. He returned to the counter, offering it to Alya.

“Thank yooou!” She said in a sing-song voice, snatching the comic. “You know, Marinette really likes this comic, so I think I’m going to give it a read when she’s done.”

“Really? Well it is a good comic series.” Adrien agreed.

Alya hummed, looking over the cover before placing it on the counter. “Yeah, I figured that she’d probably want someone to talk to about them when she’s done. I know the feel of not having someone to freak out with.”

Adrien laughed, nodding. “You know if she ever wants to talk about it, tell her to come by. She doesn’t have to be shy, I’ll be happy to talk to her about it.”

“Oh don’t worry. I don’t think she’s shy.” She said, and Adrien couldn’t help the slight bit of confusion at the grin that grew on her face. Behind the counter, Nino briefly paused as he scanned in the comics.

“I know that look.” Nino said, frowning slightly. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Alya said, smiling as she left the small pile of euros on the counter. Sweeping the comics up into her arms, she headed for the door. “I’ve gotta run, but I’ll be seeing you two later!” Adrien waved, but watched curiously as Alya slipped out the front, the door shutting behind her. Nino leaned on the counter, staring at the front door.

“She’s planning something.” The short-haired teen deadpanned, and Adrien couldn’t help but agree.


End file.
